


All We Have is Time and Blood

by manaketefirestone



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alien Biology, Angst, Biting, Bottom Karkat, Chubby Karkat, Cover Art, Depression, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Feral Behavior, First Time, Fluff, Heavy Petting, Humor, M/M, Mild Blood, NSFW, Oral Sex, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Post-Canon, Scratching, Self-Esteem Issues, The Homestuck Epilogues: Meat, Top Dave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2020-10-27 08:55:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20757707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manaketefirestone/pseuds/manaketefirestone
Summary: Karkat and Dave are finally an item, but both of them are nervous to take things to the next level. Will they be able to function as a healthy couple? Or will unforeseen circumstance push them away from each other?





	1. Time and Blood (Artwork)

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction takes place a few days after the end of the meat epilogue, with minor changes. The changes I'm talking about are of course getting rid of that part where Dirk was being a piece of shit for selfish reasons. So everyone is happy and nobody died or went into space! There are references and discussion of past childhood sexual abuse, so please keep that in mind. Feel free to give me constructive criticism, thank you. I hope you enjoy!

Welcome to All We Have is Time and Blood. Please check out my [weebly](https://firefiction.weebly.com) account for updates, FAQ, and links to my other work!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a drawing tablet for Christmas and decided to make the art look nicer and reflect my headcanons more instead of being generic. I think it looks a lot nicer this way! :)


	2. In Every Way that I Understand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave and Karkat have a conversation about their relationship.

Only a few days had passed since Dave and Karkat kissed in public for the very first time. Everyone had been very supportive, maybe even a little too supportive in Jade’s case, and nobody whose opinion mattered was putting any pressure on the two of them to “speed things along”. They were both very grateful that nobody was expecting them to start mackin’ on each other in the middle of Can Town, spit flying into the eyes of small, innocent, Carapacians.

For the most part the two of them had settled back into their usual routine, spending most of the day blabbering about whatever topic piqued their interest and the rest of the day in passive aggressive argument teaming with sexual tension.

In fact, Dave thought to himself, it was entirely too much their usual routine. It had taken basically everything he had in him to plant one on his grouchy gremlin of a boyfriend in front of Roxy. That’s what they are, right, boyfriends? Holy shit, Dave thought, we are boyfriends. Like, not just friends that are also boys, but like, the gay kind. The super gay kissing and downstairs action kind.

A few years ago, this train of thought would have sent Dave into a gay panic spiral, and he would have had to distance himself from Karkat and do something obnoxious or hyper-masculine to bury his true feelings. Fortunately, he had at the very least come to accept the fact that he, Dave Strider, was queer. He didn’t really like the idea of labeling himself as “Gay™” so that was what he was sticking with for now.

He knew that the subject of labels was something he could never discuss with Karkat in earnest, because the alien race he belonged too was basically a cesspit of incest and pansexuality. Not to say that he thought pansexuality was a bad thing, I mean Roxy is pansexual and she’s chill as hell, but Alternian pansexuality is a little… intense. Actually, now that he thought about it, everything about Alternia is fucking intense. Labels are an entirely human problem. An entirely annoying human problem.

“Dave?” Karkat interrupts his thoughts, “You’ve been staring at the wall for like, five minutes.” The boy’s black hair gently cascades over his hooded eyes and supple gray skin, as he looks to Dave for answers.

Dave coughs and stretches his shoulders, readjusting himself into the comfy butt shaped groove that he had, with such loving dedication, bored into their couch over the last few years. He throws one of his arms over the back of the sofa, and leaves his other hand on the arm, tapping his fingers against the soft surface in an observably nervous rhythm.

“Right, what were we talking about?” Dave asks, scratching the back of his neck.

Karkat gives a small pout and examines Dave closely from the other side of the couch. He would never admit this out loud, but he was genuinely worried about the idiot sitting across from him. Ever since their kiss, Dave had been acting different. That fucking weirdo was always acting different, but this was a quieter different. A much more concerning different. More than once Karkat had caught him staring at nothing, totally spacing out. He had been too nervous to ask if everything was okay, afraid that Dave was rethinking their relationship.

He thought that the two of them had finally found their rhythm when they kissed for the first time. After so many years of awkward glances, not-so-accidental-accidental body contact and uncountable hours of flirting disguised as friendly and sometimes unfriendly banter, he thought that the kiss finally sealed the deal. They were finally an item, and the kind of relationship Karkat had always dreamed about having, multiple quadrants. Dave was his best friend, his worst enemy, and… his lover? He feels his face grow hot at the thought, but he doesn’t think Dave notices.

Karkat lets out a long sigh. “We were watching a movie, and I was commenting on the obvious stupidity of the green blood for walking away from her rust blood lover like that, without saying a word or explaining herself.”

Karkat pauses and observes Dave’s expression for any sort of reaction. Those stupid shades make simple things like this so much more difficult. It then dons on him that prior to their kiss, Dave had been wearing his shades less and less as time went on. It made Karkat happy that the blonde could relax around him, but now it seems he’s retreated under the glossy black void. It’s such a small detail, but he can feel himself starting to get emotional.

Dave doesn’t say anything right away so Karkat continues. He folds his arms in frustration and opens his mouth, his pointy teeth slightly protruding.

“I mean, they were about to finally end up together, and then she goes blackrom like that and just leaves the rustblood there in the rain. It’s infuriating! They’ve been drawing out this redrom for an hour, and just when the viewer is like ‘oh okay I can get behind this’ she suddenly decides to fuck off to who knows where and do who knows what?” He waves his somewhat stubby arms in the air angrily.

“Oh yeah” Dave says, tilting his head back and staring at the gray ceiling, the light from the window reflecting off his shades. “I was just thinking like, what if walls could talk or something?” His voice is distant, like he’s talking to somebody who he knows isn’t listening.

Karkat glances over with a scowl, confusion and annoyance across his face. “What the fuck are you talking about?” He replies, holding his head with a bent arm resting gently on the other side of the sofa. He has his knees tucked in and is laying partially on his side.

“Well like,” Dave started, “What kinds of things do you think they would say?” He flutters his fingers for emphasis. “Do you think they’d have an opinion on the décor? Like this wall over here...” He points to the left wall. “Do you think it would be pissed off that we nailed a bunch of shitty movie posters into it? Or maybe it’s a huge fan of Troll Nicholas Cage, and is absolutely shuddering with ecstasy every minute of the goddamn day.”

“That’s what you were doing back there?” Karkat snaps, “Just…debating the consequences of sentient walls? You do realize we are only two hours into this five-hour long movie?” He flails his arms about.

“How do you plan on doing our usual post-movie discussion if you aren’t paying attention?” Karkat pauses for a moment, and an annoying possibility pops into his head. “Don’t tell me you already watched this one, we have a joint Trollflix account for a reason!”

Dave just stares blankly back at Karkat, his annoyingly handsome face displaying his annoyingly handsome goofy smile that belongs only to him. Karkat refuses to let this diffuse his anger, but he is suddenly feeling warmer, and not from the anger.

“Yeah I don’t know,” Dave replies casually, pretending not to notice how pissed off the alien gremlin is, “Do you think that they have a color that they prefer to be painted? I bet its red. Red is dope as hell. It’s definitely the best color.”

Karkat pauses for a minute and takes a shallow breath. “I think,” He says, and shifts his body so that it’s facing Dave. “That you’re a fucking idiot.”

A smile creeps up at the corners of Dave’s mouth, and without even realizing it his body is moving on its own, crawling across the couch until he’s a few inches away from Karkat’s surprised and slightly flushed face. He’s so cute, Dave finds himself thinking. With his suitor’s dark eyes watching his every move, he lifts his hand and brings it closer to Karkat’s face. Karkat flinches.

“What… “

Karkat starts to ask and is interrupted as Dave playfully flicks his forehead. “Hey now, that’s not what I like to hear from my **boyfriend**.” He says softly, his shades sliding down his nose and a frisky smirk stretching across his face.

Karkat, speechless, retreats as far back as he can into the couch, which isn’t very far, and a deep blush covers his entire face. His wide eyes remain fixated on the blonde only inches away. Dave, having only now realized what he has just done, readjusts his shades to disguise the pink that is slowly spreading from his cheeks and pulls away until he can no longer feel the heat pulsing off his lover’s gray skin, or smell the slight tang of apple drifting from his mouth. He now regrets introducing Karkat to apple juice, it seemed like a fine idea at the time but now it’s made him feel a sort of way he’s been trying to avoid feeling. He can feel his heart pounding out of his chest, and he wonders if Karkat can hear it too. Wow, this is pretty gay.

Dave tries to recollect his composure and resumes the previous casual arm-around-back-of-couch position. “Haha, sorry that was really dumb I uh, I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable or whatever.” He says, looking away from Karkat so that maybe his heart will stop trying to build up enough momentum to take flight or some stupid shit. Biology. Yeah.

Suddenly, he feels a pressure on the hand he lazily threw over the couch. He looks back to see Karkat interlacing his fingers with his own. This guy clearly has no respect for the human heart. Karkat’s face is still flushed red, and although they are now holding hands across the couch, Karkat’s gaze is fixated on the TV in front of them. His eyes dart to Dave’s, they make eye contact, and they both seize up before looking away again. Oh my god this is so fucking stupid.

“Listen Karkat…” Dave says, eyes glued to the TV without actually registering the images flashing across the screen. “Ever since that time we uh- kissed. Then that time we kissed sort of again but in front of Roxy, I uh- I’ve been thinking.” Karkat glances over at Dave but doesn’t make a sound. On the inside, he’s screaming. Is this where Dave ends things between them?

“We’ve spent a lot of time together, and we’ve shared a lot of similar shitty experiences, and not-so-shitty experiences. We clearly have established that we are in some sort of uh- romantic relationship. I mean, I think that’s what this is- is that what this is?” Dave blushes and pushes on his shades “Never mind, uh, the point is that I want to make sure that you are on the same page as me here. I know troll society is a lot different from human society, so I want to be absolutely positive that I’m not misunderstanding or over thinking some weird troll mannerisms.”

He continually uses his free hand for emphasis as he talks, his voice occasionally breaking from the anxiety shooting through his bloodstream and making his body run cold. He’s sweating a little, and he finds himself hoping that Karkat doesn’t recoil his hand in response. He squeezes it and takes off his shades, looking into Karkat’s eyes.

“Karkat Vantas. I love you. I’m sorry.” His heart stops beating while he awaits a response. He can feel tears welling up in his eyes for what he expects will be another rejection in his life to add to the already long list of rejections, both internal and external.

Flashes of painful memories swallow him and his whole body feels ice cold. Never good enough to stand as an equal, always clawing his way to the top as he suffered through “training”. Maybe his brother would let him eat tonight if he could survive the next surprise attack. Maybe he would say, “You did good today Dave, I’m proud of you.” But he never did, and Dave knew that he never would.

There’s a deafening silence that fills the room.

Then Karkat, mimicking Dave’s movement from earlier crawls across the couch towards Dave. He looks intensely at the blonde for a moment, furrowing his brow and making a pouty face. Dave can only hold his breath. Karkat brings his hand close to Dave’s face, and retaliates for the earlier flick with a secondary slightly harder forehead flick. He grimaces, but there is a softness in his eyes.

“That’s not the sort of apology I want to hear from **my** boyfriend, Dave.”

They stare blankly at each other for a few seconds. Both hearts and minds racing, both flesh uncomfortably warm. Both waiting. Both thinking.

Karkat suddenly breaks the silence. “You’re right Dave, things are… different on Alternia. We don’t really experience love the same way humans do.”

Dave feels his heart sink.

“But…” Karkat continues, squeezing Dave’s hand. He closes his eyes, and with considerable effort chokes his next words out. “For what it’s worth, I believe that I love you in every way that I understand.” He opens his eyes, and investigates Dave’s uniquely red ones, embarrassment flooding his cheeks.

There is a flutter of movement, and suddenly there is a palm on his chin. Dave lifts Karkat’s dazed eyes up to his, and leans in. Karkat has a short thought of protest, but then Dave’s lips are warm against his own and any thought of refusal is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These dumb gays are only going to get dumber and gayer.
> 
> If you like this fanfic and you want to stay updated, please consider following/checking out my [weebly](https://firefiction.weebly.com) account. I post updates about my writing, artwork, and potential future projects. Please feel free to make comments, suggestions, or share your thoughts!
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
-Manakete


	3. I Wanted This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up between Dave and Karkat, but then something unexpected happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is your first taste of my spicy writing, I love foreplay, can you tell?

Dave and Karkat are kissing. Now it certainly isn’t their first or even second kiss, but things are different this time. What was once soft, cautious and sweet was now ravenous and bursting with primal desire. Hands that would gently cup Karkat’s face and brush a finger across his lips are now tugging and pulling at the hair on the nape of his neck, searching shakily for a better grip as the two of them hungrily explore each other’s mouth.

Fireworks are exploding on the inside of Karkat’s mind as he sits there on the couch, his back pressed to the soft fabric with Dave, ever so lovely, straddling his hips. Their chests are touching, and he can feel the blonde’s wonderful human warmth radiating from within while their lips are locked tightly together. Small gasps of air and the soft humming against his lips become the only sounds that matter. It was becoming harder and harder to ignore the stream of candy red blood rushing steadily to the inside of his sweatpants.

Karkat realizes in his shock he hasn’t done anything with his hands, which are pathetically laying at his sides. He lifts his arms and presses his fingers into the small of Dave’s back, then decides that it’s not good enough and slips them underneath his shirt. Dave’s skin is soft and moist with sweat, and it feels so damn good. He ghosts his hands up and down the boy’s exposed back, stopping teasingly at the hem of his loose black gym shorts with his slightly jagged nails.

Dave’s breath hitches at the unfamiliar feeling, as Karkat scrapes gently against his pelvis with reckless abandon sending shockwaves down his spine. The alien chill of Karkat’s searching hands contrasts harshly with the fast-growing temperature of his own body. He can feel the heat traveling south and he knows how hard his dick is getting, and he pretends not to notice that whatever Karkat has down there is starting to stir as well. This is made more difficult as Karkat swiftly grabs his hips and readjusts, and Dave is now sitting directly on the black-haired boy’s pulsing crotch.

He feels the tip of his own dick twitch in anticipation and despite his resistance a soft, breathy moan escapes his lips and enters Karkat’s waiting mouth. He feels Karkat’s body shiver with excitement and he lets his slightly sharpened teeth graze over his own tongue before pulling away, leaving them both panting heavily. The space between them suddenly seems a few degrees colder when their faces aren’t mashed together, with small bursts of warm breath flavoring the air.

“Holy shit Dave, why are we stopping?” Karkat asks, his cheeks flushed red and a thin glaze over his heavily lidded eyes. He grinds his hips impatiently into Dave, and the blonde manages to stifle a whimper.

‘We’re stopping,” Dave starts, a small bead of sweat trickles from his forehead to the crease of his nose, his face is red and what seems to be the start of a slight bruise traces the corners of his lips. _His delicious, needy lips_, Karkat thinks to himself. Dave catches Karkat staring and wipes the corners of his mouth with his arm. He continues.

“We’re stopping, because I’ve always wanted to do this.” His sentence ends abruptly with his teeth sinking into the soft supple gray skin of Karkat’s exposed neck.

“Oh fuck.” Karkat hisses, as Dave begins sucking harshly on his nape. The sensation is unlike anything he’s felt before, and he instinctively rolls his hips causing Dave to moan directly into his bare flesh.

“Oh god.” Dave whimpers into Karkat’s neck, as his now fully hard dick pulses with heat, before continuing to ravage his boyfriend with bite marks and bruises. _This is mine. It’s mine_, he thinks to himself.

Karkat releases a long and low groan as he pulls Dave’s teeth off his neck and guides his face with one hand to reconnect with his own, the other still clutching at the blonde’s comforting warm flesh at the small of his back. Once their lips have found a rhythm again, Karkat experimentally moves his now face-free hand to the visible bulge on Dave’s sweatpants. _This is it; _he thinks to himself; _we are making this happen_. He’s so focused on making this happen in fact, that he doesn’t notice Dave suddenly twitch reflexively or his gaze going from heated, to confused, to scared. Then Dave pulls away, and Karkat’s concentration is broken.

“Shit, shit shit fuck”. Dave whispers, and then he pulls himself off Karkat and collapses to the ground near the foot of the couch.

“Dave what’s wrong?” Karkat immediately drops to the floor and reaches towards Dave, who is currently covering his face with both of his hands, his body slightly shaking with every breath.

“It was me, I wanted this. I fucking started it goddammit.” Dave hisses into his hands, his mouth choking back tears. He see’s Karkat’s hand out of the corner of his eye and without looking pushes it away.

“Don’t touch me, I’m such a fucking loser.” His voice is breaking, and full of a deep pain that Karkat doesn’t quite recognize.

“Dave what the hell is going on?” Karkat asks, genuinely concerned to such a degree he can feel his own eyes beginning to water.

“Dave did I hurt you? Was it something I did, or said, or…” Karkat’s mind races as he tries to figure out where all of this went so horribly fucking wrong. _Is he starting to regret all of this? Is he playing mind games with me? Does he not find me attractive?_

“Shut the fuck up, okay?” Dave says, sniffling and wiping his snot with his arm. He stands up and walks to the nearest wall and smashes his face against the cool gray paint. His arms move above his head and with his fists tightly clenched he begins slamming them against the wall.

He feels the eyes on him once again, hears the click of a camera, and his mind is a slurry of emotions and thoughts. He doesn’t hear Karkat approach him and only realizes the troll is there once he feels a clawed hand on his shoulder.

He turns his face to meet the trolls concerned gaze and shakes off the weary hand. He feels a sharp pang of guilt when he see’s how badly this hurts Karkat, the raven-haired boy’s eyes sinking with despair, and he can’t look him in the eyes any longer. He turns his focus back to the gray wall.

“I meant what I said Karkat, but…” He starts to say, his voice emotionless and his eyes nursing a hollow emptiness. His brow furrows and he’s shaking slightly.

Karkat can already feel his heart shattering into a thousand pieces.

“Things were easier for me when we were just friends.” The word “**friends**” comes out of Dave’s mouth with a bitter emphasis.

Karkat’s blood has run ice cold, his legs are wobbling, and he feels like he could fall over at any second. It takes everything inside him to not collapse onto his knees and scream. He waits for Dave to continue, tears already streaming down his face without making a sound.

“I’ve been a performer my whole life, Karkat.” Dave says, a hint of a sad chuckle escaping his lips.

“I know that you know that I’m not like, always okay. We’ve talked about it before, and I know that while human emotions don’t line up perfectly with troll emotions, I know you want to listen and understand the best that you can.” Dave’s breath catches, and Karkat wants to wipe away his tears but he knows that he shouldn’t. Not right now.

“Of course I want to Dave. I love you.” His voice cracks as he says “love”, and he wipes away his own tears with his thumb.

“Listen. This is really hard for me to talk about.” Dave’s voice is heavy as a silence fills the air. The living room suddenly seems so small. Karkat quiets his breathing and listens intently.

“When I was a kid,” Dave starts, and his voice is breaking profusely. His eyes look so far away, like he’s searching for something beyond the gray walls of their small apartment.” He shudders, and then forces himself to continue. _He deserves to know_; he thinks to himself.

“My brother he, he uh…” Horrific images suddenly completely overtake Dave’s mind. The puppet snaking its spindly arms across his milky white thighs while his brother, his guardian and only source of affection, huffs the word “nice” and grips the camera tighter while he dollies in. The puppet smiles. Dave screams and collapses to the ground. He bangs his fists into the floor, tears flying every which way and when that’s no longer enough and the blood dripping from his knuckles comes to a stop, he gets off the ground and pushes past a stunned Karkat.

Karkat finds himself unable to say anything, and completely useless he watches his boyfriend tear through the kitchen and stumble out the front door. His mind goes white and his legs finally give out.

* * *

Time passes. Hours, minutes, Karkat can’t be sure as he lays sobbing on the kitchen floor. Then he hears a familiar voice call to him from the front door. Of course, he immediately thinks it might be Dave come to apologize, so he forces himself to trudge through the kitchen and open the door.

“Hey there Karkat.” The warm voice and soft glow of Kanaya makes him rub his eyes. She’s standing at his front door in a lovely Sunday dress clutching some sort of package. Rose is at her side, wearing a blouse and skirt that complements Kanaya’s perfectly. Rose stares adoringly at her wife while Kanaya continues.

“Well you see,” Kanaya says pointedly, raising a finger and speaking with her eyelids closed softly, her beautiful long eyelashes flutter and she opens one eye.

“I made an extra serving of what humans call, I believe, Beefloaf.” Rose chuckles softly, her gaze still completely focused on her wife, and Kanaya shoots her a confused glance but continues. “It is said to be crafted from human moo-beasts called “Cows” and…” She pauses. With her one eye open and focused on Karkat, she notices the dark circles under his eyes and how his cheeks look sunken in. She stops talking, concerned.

“Karkat, are you okay?” she asks affectionately, her head slightly tilted in question, and Karkat instantly collapses into her arms with a sob. There is a pause, and then Rose speaks up. “I think I’ll go make us some tea.” She says, and gently scoots past the two trolls and into the kitchen.

A few minutes pass and Karkat is sitting at his kitchen table, staring intently into a cup of what is apparently called “green tea”, his eyes glazed over and his cheeks burning from tears.

“Karkat.” Kanaya speaks up, gaining his attention. “What the hell happened? You look absolutely terrible.” She takes a sip from her tea with one hand, and with the other she softly drums on the table.

“Well,” Karkat starts, wiping his nose with his sleeve before continuing, “Things were going great Kanaya, I think Dave and I were going to…” He brings his hand to his own neck, and upon feeling the swollen flesh he blushes slightly. Rose giggles seeing his face go red, and Kanaya shushes her.

“Yes, you were going to copulate, go on” She urges Karkat forward with his story and casually sips her tea. She makes it sound so medical, and so… simple.

“Then um, then suddenly Dave freaked the hell out. He started crying and saying things like “things were easier when we were friends” and…” Karkat’s voice breaks as he feels another pang of pain thinking about the emotionless look in Dave’s eyes. He can feel his lips trembling.

Kanaya puts the tea down and moves her hand across the table to grip Karkat’s trembling fingers. She tilts her head slightly, but doesn’t pressure him further. Karkat is grateful for that. After taking a moment to gather himself, he starts to speak.

Karkat lets out a dejected sigh. “Then he just, took off. I don’t understand, Kanaya. Was it something I said?” He has his free hand covering his face and looks at her through his fingers.

“Karkat, listen this is important” She squeezes his hand. “Did he say anything else? Anything at all?” Rose is leaning against the kitchen wall now, visibly upset but her mind seems to be wandering.

“Yeah uh,” Karkat says, moving the hand from his face to the handle of the teacup. He stares at the contents silently. “He started to say something about his childhood but then broke down.”

Rose perks up upon hearing this, and she whispers something to Kanaya. Kanaya nods in her direction, and Rose walks past the table to the front door, shutting it behind her.

“Karkat, you need to understand that this is not the result of your own actions. You acted as anyone would, you have no reason to blame yourself. This is about Dave."

She pauses to wait for Karkat to react, but his eyes remain focused on the tea and so she continues.

"While I am far from knowledgeable about Dave's childhood, I'm aware that it was traumatic for him in more ways than one. Something like that is going to leave scars, and sometimes those scars will hurt."

Karkat’s head shoots up when he hears this. His mind starts running wild with possibilities.

“You don’t think he would hurt himself, do you?” He asks, the tears are dry now but his eyes shine with concern for the man he loves. He squeezes her hand tighter.

  
"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that, but Rose is looking for him now. I'm sure she will be able to curb any self-destructive impulses he may have."

Karkat’s chair squeaks as he pushes it out of the way to stand up. “We have to go find him, right now Kanaya! I can’t leave him alone, not if he’s hurting!”

He tries to leave but Kanaya won’t let go of his hand. The tea shakes and splashes against the rim with the movement of the table.

  
"Karkat, he needs his space. And to be frank, so do you. I doubt you would want to see him right now. If you like, we can participate in a few hours of poorly written programming to take your mind off things.”

Karkat sniffles and considers rejecting her offer, but he gives in and a small smile creeps from the corners of his mouth.

“You’re going to regret allowing me to bring you on a trollflix binge, it’s not exactly your taste in cinema.” He chuckles softly and he can feel his strength starting to return to his limbs.

“Karkat,” Kanaya says seriously, “I’ll never regret being there for you when you need me.” She smiles, walking over to the couch and patting the spot next to her to invite him to join her.

He falls asleep on her shoulder during a fifth episode of “The Real Housewives of Alternia”. She puts a blanket over his shoulders, and closing her eyes, joins him in a gentle sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. Please don't leave, more to come.
> 
> If you like this fanfic and you want to stay updated, please consider following/checking out my [weebly](https://firefiction.weebly.com) account. I post updates about my writing, artwork, and potential future projects. Please feel free to make comments, suggestions, or share your thoughts!
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
-Manakete


	4. A Long Talk by the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave has a lot of uncomfortable feelings to resolve and his friends are determined to help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I created some artwork to accompany this fanfiction, if you haven't seen it yet please go take a look!

As soon as Rose steps outside the front door, she flips open her phone and texts Jade and John.

Rose: John, Jade, I need you both to meet me outside the mayor’s house. It’s urgent.

John: oh gosh, are you okay? I’m on my way now!

Jade: what happened?! 

Rose: I’m fine, it’s about Dave. He and Karkat had a fight and he’s run off.

Jade: on my way D:

Rose sticks her cellphone back inside her pocket and starts flying towards Can Town, the carapacian city that went from crudely drawn blueprints on the floor of a giant wine bottle cork, to a functioning metropolis. When the players had all settled down, Dave and Karkat had chosen a place in the troll district near Can Town so that they could make frequent wellness checks on the mayor. It was, quite frankly, adorable. The location is also a frequent meet up spot for the four of them, and familiarity is something Rose needs right now. She knows that she has to remain calm enough to explain to John and Jade what happened. She tries not to show it, but she is deeply worried about Dave. She knows that he needs the support of his best friends, and she _ will _ make sure he gets it.

A few minutes later she is standing in Can Town square in front of the mayor’s house, looking around anxiously for her friends to arrive. The city is on the small side, with it’s tasteful soup and canned vegetable inspired decor. Sitting proudly at the apex of activity, is a giant ever-flowing tab fountain that was built using both technology and physical prowess. A few wandering carpacians wave at her and she waves back, appearing unconcerned despite the turmoil within her. John is the first to arrive as he materializes in front of her with a buffet of wind, blowing her hair back and sending a ring of fallen leaves and debris out from him.

“I’m here, what’s going on?” Wide, panicked eyes and slightly parted lips set in a shallow frown make up an expression Rose hasn’t seen in years. Not since the game.

“Dave and Karkat got into some sort of argument, Dave ran off, and Karkat is currently sobbing into Kanaya’s arms.” Rose says plainly, a slight tremor in her voice unnoticeable to all but those closest to her.. John, oblivious as he might typically be, sees straight through her facade. 

“Oh man, then we need to go find him ASAP! When Dave gets emotional, he does dumb things. Really dumb and sacrificial things.” John briefly remembers the time Dave threw himself at the mercy of the Green Sun, or the time he prototyped himself, or when he defended Jade’s limp body with his life. His thoughts are interrupted as Jade appears with a flash of green light. 

“I’m sorry!” she gasps. “I got held up, what happened to Dave?”

“An argument between him and Karkat, a bad one. Karkat is accounted for, but Dave ran off and we need to find him. You know what he’s like when he panics. We wouldn’t want him to go and save the day in his own Strider way, now would we?” she explains, snark edging her tone as she talks. 

“Hi Jade, I didn’t even see you there! I like your dress, is it new?” John’s eyes twinkle with fascination for the off the shoulder evening dress with real stems and leaves growing from the seams. Rose sighs, reminding herself never to underestimate a Harleybert’s ability to be distracted. 

“Yes! I made it by alchemizing spruce seeds with one of my more boring pieces.” Jade does a little twirl, the afternoon sun reflects off her features giving her an ethereal glow. Rose swiftly refocuses the conversation.

“We need to go to LOWAS, I’m almost positive that’s where Dave has gone.”

John and Jade both tilt their heads slightly at Rose, confused.

“Why would he go to John’s planet?” Jade asks, crossing her arms and tapping on her chin with one of her fingers.

“Whenever he gets upset, he revisits his brother’s grave to brood. I followed him once. He caught me, but he didn’t seem too upset. I think he was glad to have someone, much as he would deny it..”

“Oh.” John whispers just loud enough for the others to hear, and the mood of the conversation darkens once again. Rose nods at the two of them. “Let’s go, he’s waiting for us. Which he will completely deny.” she says, matter-of-factly.

They all link arms, and John does the windy thing.

* * *

When they appearify, they find themselves standing on LOWAS. The sky is bright and blue, and the ocean sparkles with life. It’s beautiful, and a far cry from what it was before John completed his quest. Sometimes you just gotta piano your way into a better future.

Dave is sitting on a rock drawing circles and, to the surprise of absolutely nobody involved, dicks in the sand with a stick. His sunglasses sit discarded on the ground nearby, his eyes are red and puffy from crying

John and Jade stand nervously beside Rose, who coughs to announce their presence. Dave grips his sword, which he always brings with him when he travels outside Earth C and shifts to greet the new arrivals. When he realizes it’s his friends, he returns the blade to his strife deck. 

“Instincts, sorry.” He glances briefly at the shades on the sand as if he is considering putting them back on, and then goes back to drawing dicks. He doesn’t seem surprised that they are all here.

Jade, John and Rose step forward hesitantly. Rose sits on a rock diagonal from Dave, crossing her legs delicately. John floats a few feet off the ground near Dave, and Jade leans on Rose’s legs.

“So,” Rose starts, “I just left your apartment. Karkat was very upset.”

A tinge of concern flashes across Dave’s eyes as he pauses his drawing. He looks like he wants to say something, but deflates after a moment.

Rose continues.“He’s with Kanaya now, you don’t need to worry about him. Dave, please talk to us.” She tilts her head and uncrosses her arm, trying to appear welcoming. Jade twiddles her fingers searching for the right words to say.

There’s a pause and right before Jade opens her mouth to speak, Dave finally says something.

“Rose, what made you think it was a good idea to bring the whole fucking motley crew with you? Are they going to start snapping their fingers suggestively and belting out acapella?”

John stifles a laugh, considering the situation. He readjusts himself going from a cross legged float to a “draw me like a French girl” float. He’s the first to respond to Dave’s quip.

“That wasn’t a part of the plan, but maybe it should’ve been!”

Dave snorts, and then pulls his legs up into his chest.

“Can’t a guy just, be sad?” he whispers into his knees.

“Nope!,” Jade pipes up. “As long as I’m your friend being sad is absolutely off the table!” She makes a dramatic gesture with her arms as she talks, smiling gently in Dave’s direction.

“Of course you can be sad Dave,” John adds, “but it seems like you’re going through something a lot bigger than that.”

“Yeah, John’s right!” Jade replies, “We’re all worried about you!” She pauses for a moment, and something changes in her eyes as she continues. “One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that it feels better to be honest with myself and how I feel. Or it starts to pile up and you feel all yucky inside.” She looks down and fiddles with her fingers again.

Rose switches the position of her legs, and pets Jade’s head comfortingly. Jade wags her tail and leans into the touch. Then Rose speaks up again.

“Dave, I am by no means an expert, but I will say that while Jade phrased it in a simpler manner,” Jade’s tail stops wagging and she looks slightly annoyed at the subtle tease as Rose continues. “she is overwhelmingly correct. You will most likely feel better if you transfer your inner turmoil to the outside, where we can discuss and divulge it.” She finishes, gesticulating to emphasize her point.

Dave remains silent, but he lets his legs fall back to the ground and leans back on his arms. The LOWAS air stings his lips and the sore corners of his eyes.

“Alright, okay,” He says after a pause, “I’ll talk about it. It obviously didn’t go so well the first time,” He puts his hands up in surrender. “but I’m not the kind of guy to turn down sloppy seconds.”

John and Jade laugh, the sound echoing off the rocks and reaching the shore. Rose rolls her eyes, a slight smile on her lips.

“Your sense of humor,” Jade says, still giggling. “even in a bad situation is one of the things I’ve always admired about you Dave!”

“Speaking of which,'' John says, his laughter slowly dissipating, “Why did you come here to LOWAS anyways? Rose says it’s to brood, but I think you could manage that pretty much anywhere! So what, is this some sort of high tier irony I don’t understand?” There is a lightness in his voice as he teases Dave for his unmatched ability to spiral.

Dave laughs, but it’s hollow. The sound doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Nah, it’s nothing like that. This is just like, the closest I can get to my bro since he got skewered by Jack. I guess I still have a lot of questions, and the answers I have are fucking terrible.”

Realization passes over John’s face, but he tries his best to remain upbeat and supportive. “I almost forget about how my planet was temporarily turned into a warzone.” He looks around, smiling at the bustling salamander city in the distance, where some of the consorts had chosen to remain. “It seems so peaceful now. I kind of missed this place.”

“I sometimes miss my grandpa,” Jade adds, “even though I didn’t exactly have a normal relationship with him. I mean I could literally just talk to him; Jake lives down the street from me. But it’s not the same. They don’t have the same memories.”

Dave sniffles as he replies.

“Yeah. I thought I had gotten over it when I had that feelings jam with Dirk, we even hugged and everything. I thought it was finally over, and I could move forward with my life and stop being such a loser.” He readjusts so that he’s sitting casually on the edge of the rock, swinging his legs back and forth haphazardly.

Rose speaks up. “There are some wounds that take a lot more than a conversation to heal, Dave. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” she states firmly.

Another moment of silence passes over them, the cool ocean breeze washing gently over the group. Just as Rose opens her mouth to speak, Dave suddenly lets it all out in a flurry of words and sound, like a dam where the waters been slowly building until it reaches the breaking point.

“It was the puppets. It was always the fucking puppets.” Dave starts, his fists balled up in an unspoken rage. “Even in my earliest memories he was always doing something fucked up with them. Anything from stuffing them in cabinets or the fucking ceiling to just straight fucking them in front of a camera for his freakshow he called a website.”

John and Jade try to mask their horror as Dave rambles on.

“And yeah, sure that’s all pretty fucked but I could have eventually got over the subliminal and not so subliminal puppet smut. I was already living a nightmare, but I didn’t even realize I was asleep. It was all so fucking normal to me.” Dave clenches and unclenches his fists, and he looks like he might break into tears again at any moment.

“Then one day I guess he got bored and decided to drag me into it. He uh, had Lil Cal feel me up in front of the camera. Put me on his sick website and took me to Olive Garden when he got a lot more traffic than usual as a celebration. I was eight years old and we almost never left the house, but now I was eating endless breadsticks because some sweaty neckbeard in Idaho got click baited by non consensual puppet debauchery starring yours truly.”

He throws himself backwards so that he’s splayed out on top of the rock. It doesn’t look very comfortable, but nobody says anything. As the seconds tick by and the silence lingers, Dave starts to sweat. _ Are they going to tell me this is stupid, or that it’s my own fucking fault? _

“Wow. Holy fucking shit Dave, what the fuck?” John says, and the anger behind his voice isn’t hard to miss. “Fuck this, I’m going to go punch Dirk in his stupid fucked up face right now!” Still fuming he turns like he’s going to leave.

“Thanks John,” Dave says, appreciative of his friend’s anger, “but it wouldn’t do any good. Like Jade said, it’s not really him. He’s not the brother who did that to me.” He smiles weakly at John, pain in his eyes, and John hesitates before sitting back down with a sigh.

The initial shock of the revelation wears off on Jade and Rose, who practically interrupt each other as they both try to speak up to voice their horror.

“Oh my gosh,” Jade says, tears already welling up in her eyes. “Dave I’m so sorry that happened to you.” She shuffles over to Dave on all fours, and leaning up against the rock, she nuzzles his leg gently. Her tears stain his pants a bit, but he doesn’t mind, not right now.

“That’s incredibly disturbing Dave.” Rose adds, “I can’t imagine the confusion and pain you must have endured experiencing that during your formative years.” She’s frowning, and her eyes look glazed over as she tries to retain her composure.

Dave sighs before he continues.

“Yeah well, I guess I didn’t realize just how badly it fucked me up until today. When things got intense with Karkat, I started seeing the stupid puppet. Having fucking Vietnam flashbacks like some sort of pudding covered geezer in a psych ward.”

“Childhood sexual assault often leads to hypersexual behavior or an aversion to it.” Rose replies. “It is not an unusual response.”

Dave looks up at the blue sky and wonders to himself if there is a timeline in which he isn’t so fucking damaged. John and Jade remain silent and listen, occasionally giving him an empathetic smile or nuzzling his leg respectively.

“God, do you have to make it so analytical? I know you’re just trying to help but phrasing it like it’s supposed to be obvious is freaking me out.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to approach a very difficult subject with something more tangible.”

“There’s nothing wrong with taking things slow,” Jade says, “relationships are about more than just sex! Besides, I’m sure if you talked to Karkat about all of this he would totally understand!”

“I know, I know, but it’s just hard to get myself into that headspace you know? It’s not like I don’t want to spice things up. Trust me, I was getting really into it, especially when he…”

“Dave.” Rose cuts him off.

“Right. I’m just saying, I don’t want him to think I’m not into it. We do the same dumb shit every day, and it’s really great. I don’t want him to think that I’m unhappy with us or anything like that.. I guess I’m worried if I disturb the routine too much by talking about my issues when things were finally going somewhere, it’s going to scare him away from me. I mean, he’s a troll! They don’t have pedophiles. I think.”

Suddenly, Jade bristles excitedly. If lightbulbs could manifest above people’s heads, or perhaps if she happened to be a rainbow drinker, Jade would be glowing.

“Maybe disturbing the routine is exactly what you need!”

They all turn to look at Jade.

“You want to spice things up in a way that you have control over, to keep you grounded and confident enough to make a move. Sounds to me that what you need is a date!”

“A what?” Dave asks, genuinely confused.

“Dave!” John says with a chuckle, “Don’t tell me you’ve never been on a date!”

“Wait.” Dave says, sitting up and scratching his head. “People actually do that?”

“Oh my god.” John puts his face in his hands, trying not to burst out into laughter.

“Like the corsage, the wine and dine, the ridiculous slow dancing to REO Speedwagon?” Dave makes a series of hand and arm movements to mime his words as he speaks. “That’s all real?”

“Dave, I think at least two of those things are typically associated with American High School prom, specifically during the 80s.” Rose corrects him unfazed.

“Well fuck if I know! My extensive and brilliant knowledge of romance is solely based on 80s movies that were lying around the apartment and things my bro erotically mumbled to his smuppets.”

“Doesn’t sound extensive to me.” John says, snickering.

“Fuck you Egbert, you fucking love 80s movies. If a time period could be sucked off, you would’ve drained it of all its grimy cigar flavored soak and then fingered yourself with a replica of Harrison Ford’s pinky!”

John can no longer contain his laughter and starts rolling around in midair giggling uncontrollably. Jade snickers, her tail thumping the sand with excitement.

“Moving forward,” Rose says, “Although I hate to interrupt such an electrifying conversation, I think Jade has a fantastic idea. You and Karkat should go on a date, after he stops panicking over this. A real one, not just sitting in front of the TV in slightly nicer outfits.”

“Well,” Dave replies curtly, “I guess it can’t fuck me up anymore than I already am.” Rose raises an eyebrow. Jade excitedly jumps up and does a little doggy victory dance.

“Yay! Woof! You have to let me pick out your outfit!”

“I know a good place in the consort district,” John chimes in, “Great prices, friendly salamander staff. You can tell them you know Casey for a discount.”

“Oh god what have I just agreed to.” Dave reaches down and picks up his shades, dusting some sand off before putting them back on his face.

“This could be good for you Dave,” Rose insists, “don’t let their enthusiasm get in the way of a good experience.” She smiles in Dave’s direction.

There is a final pause in conversation before Dave gives in, his face red with embarrassment at the thought of going on a genuine date with Karkat.

“… Okay”

“Dave I’m going to hug you now and you can’t stop me!” Jade says, throwing herself at Dave and knocking them both to the ground. Her ears and tail wiggle wildly while Dave writhes pathetically under her.

“Oh, I’m totally joining in!” John says, pulling Jade off Dave for a moment to give Dave a proper bro hug. Rose chuckles softly and walks over to the friend pile.

“I suppose I am obligated to participate.” She says and pulls them all warmly into her embrace. She smells like lavender and old books, in a good way.

“Guys, c’mon your stifling my vibes here.” Dave says, blood rushing to his cheeks. The hug only tightens, and he resigns, allowing himself to hug back. “I mean, I guess I don’t completely hate it.”

The breeze carrying itself from the sea blows over them, and Dave can feel his eyes clouding with tears again. This time, he doesn’t bother fighting them back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will include two chaotic gays attempting to appear civilized in a public setting.
> 
> If you like this fanfic and you want to stay updated, please consider following/checking out my [weebly](https://firefiction.weebly.com) account. I post updates about my writing, artwork, and potential future projects. Please feel free to make comments, suggestions, or share your thoughts!
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
-Manakete


	5. Dinner for Two, Hold the Cheese

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave and Karkat go on a date. Silly banter ensues and Dave shares his feelings.

When Karkat wakes up the next morning Kanaya is already gone. The early morning light cascades from the window onto his groggy face; shades drawn aside by the rainbow drinker before she absconded, careful not to wake the sleeping troll.

He stretches out his arms and legs, cramped from sleeping in such an awkward position, and when his feet hit the cool surface of the floor a flood of memories overwhelms him. He remembers the rising tension, the argument, Dave collapsing onto the floor in tears, and his stumbling, frantic escape.

_ Oh shit_, He thinks to himself, _ did Dave come home last night _?

He immediately starts searching their tiny apartment for Dave, but it doesn’t take long before he realizes none of his boyfriend’s things have been touched since yesterday, and the kitchen counter remains clear of dirty dishes. Every morning Dave has a glass of apple juice and an easy breakfast, a toaster strudel or a bowl of cereal, and usually forgets to clean up after himself. Homemaking is an all but foreign concept to the younger Strider, which says a lot when you consider the fact that his other half grew up under constant fear of being culled and yet still managed to at least figure out the basics.

While Dave’s inability to cook and clean is at times annoying, if Karkat is being completely honest, he doesn’t mind it all that much. He enjoys taking care of the house and making simple meals for the two of them, it makes him feel wanted. Not that he will ever admit that, instead continuing to shout obscenities in Dave’s direction while vacuuming the living room or making the bed.

Now certain that Dave isn’t anywhere to be found, Karkat picks up his cellphone and checks for new messages. His eyes widen slightly as he reacts to the blinking notification: 15 NEW MESSAGES

Kanaya: Good Morning Karkat. I Do Apologize For Leaving, But Rose Needed Some Things From The Store For Dinner Tonight And She Assured Me That Her Talk With Dave Was Fruitful. I Hope You Are Feeling Better, You Know That If You Need Assistance, I Am Just A Phone Call Away. -Kanaya Maryam

Kanaya: I Hope You Know I Left Only Because I Felt You Were Safe Alone; I Would Not Have Done So Had I Thought You Were Still In Crisis. -Kanaya Maryam

Kanaya: I Am Purchasing Garlic Cloves, I Believe That These Are Necessary For Our Meal Tonight But Is Their Inclusion Also One Of Your Clever Jests At My, In Earth Terms, Vampire Expense? -Your Wife

Kanaya: That Was Meant For Rose. Please Ignore It Completely. I Am Quite Embarrassed. -Kanaya Maryam

Karkat finishes reading Kanaya’s messages with a smile. She was terrible at texting. She was the only person he knew that signed her name at the end of every text. He scrolls up to the next set of texts.

John: hey karkat! don’t worry about dave. jade rose and I talked to him last night and he’s feeling a lot better!

John: oh right, you’re probably wondering where he is.

John: he’s asleep on my couch lol!

Directly after that, John sent a peace sign selfie with Dave snoozing on the couch in the background. Dave is wearing the same outfit Karkat last saw him in, drooling profusely with his arms hanging off the side of the cushions.

_ So, he also spent the night on a couch. At least he’s safe, even if he looks like an idiot in that photo. _

John: when he wakes up, I’ll have him text you. you guys have a big night ahead of you!

_ What the fuck does that mean? _

Karkat hits the reply button and is about to respond, but then he notices the remaining messages.

Dave: hey

Dave: last night was super dumb

Dave: it was shitty of me to just take off like that after freaking the fuck out. i thought about going back to fix it, but more of me showing up would have probably escalated the bulge circus and not in a fun way.

Dave: i guess what im trying to say is that im sorry. i love you karkles. forgive me?

Karkat’s face flushes red as his eyebrows contort in a toothy scowl. He continues reading.

Dave: if you say yes something awesome will happen. if you say no i uh

Dave: please don’t say no

Karkat checks the time, it’s been a half hour since Dave sent his last message. He thinks about his potential response for a moment, pacing around the apartment staring blankly at the reply box. He throws himself on the bed and screams into a pillow. He knows he can’t stay mad at Dave and it drives him insane.

Karkat: OH? OH REALLY? YOU FREAK THE FUCK OUT AND INSTEAD OF *TALKING* ABOUT IT LIKE ANYONE ELSE ON THE GODDAMN PLANET YOU DECIDE TO JUST “OLLIE OUTIE” OF THE FUCKING DOOR AND LEAVE ME WONDERING WHERE THE HELL THE ONE PERSON I CARE ABOUT MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE IS AND YOU EXPECT ME TO JUST FORGIVE YOU? 

Karkat: OKAY, FINE, I FORGIVE YOU. BUT I WANT AN EXPLANATION STRIDER!

Karkat: NO BOUNCING AROUND THE TOPIC LIKE A FUCKING HOP BEAST, I SWEAR TO FUCK IF I SEE ONE POINTLESS RAMBLING METAPHOR I WILL FLIP MY SHIT. MARK MY FUCKING WORDS.!

Karkat sighs deeply and pulls the blanket around him. Obviously, this is a delicate subject for Dave and some part of him worries that he’s being insensitive. Is it wrong for him to want to know the truth? But it’s more than just that, he’s in love with him. Seeing Dave break like that scared the shit out of him. He just wants Dave to be okay. He feels the heat rise in his face as he types.

Karkat: ALSO, ARE YOU OKAY?

Dave responds almost immediately, which surprises Karkat. Dave usually lets his messages go a few minutes, sometimes hours without responding.

Dave: yeah dude of course im okay

Dave: what did you think i fucking sudokued myself at sunset

Karkat rolls his eyes, more earth jargon he doesn’t understand.

Karkat: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANS BUT I’M GLAD YOU AREN’T DEAD. ARE YOU COMING HOME SOON?

Dave: you can’t get rid of me that easily haha. actually, im going to be at john’s for a while. you’ll see me later tho don’t worry.

Karkat bristles with annoyance. They just made up, and now he’s going to sit at John’s house instead of coming home and giving Karkat a kiss which he will briefly attempt to reject but then give into? The delicate balance of theatrical annoyance to save face and genuine emotion is an art form Karkat believes he has mastered.

Karkat: WHAT? YOU DUMBASS GET OFF EGBERTS COUCH AND COME BACK TO THE APARTMENT!

Dave: i can’t you’re not supposed to see me until later.

Karkat: WHAT THE FUCK? WHY?

Dave: maybe that only applies to weddings.

Karkat: AS I SAID, WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT WEDDING? HOW IS THAT RELATED TO ANY OF THIS?

Dave: dude chill out it’s fine, just meet me at the mayor’s house at five. wear something fancy. jade said she left you a note in your closet with suggestions.

Karkat: DID I NOT HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOU ABOUT HOW I FEEL ABOUT HER JUST POPPING INTO EXISTENCE IN OUR HOUSE WITHOUT PERMISSION? ESPECIALLY WHEN I’M ASLEEP?

Dave: it’s a date, see you soon.

Karkat throws his phone across the bed and flips to his back, clutching the pillow close to his chest. His fingernails dig into the soft fabric with frustration.

_ God he’s so fucking annoying. Wait. Did he say a date?_

* * *

After the realization sets in that Dave just asked him on a date, Karkat spends the next few hours panicking and running around the apartment trying to get ready. He knows about the concept of a “date” from watching human romcoms with Dave, but how far should he go? What if he does something wrong? What if _ Sex In The City 2 _ isn’t an exactly accurate analogy to human tradition?

The closest thing on Alternia to a date was the flushed copulation ceremony, where the dominant partner would try to win the affections of the submissive with gifts prior to pailing. Sure, sometimes flushed troll couples would go out together to see a movie, go shopping, or maybe grab a bite to eat at a place that allowed their caste. Highbloods were known to watch an ongoing culling together as a form of erotic theater. However, these were done specifically for reproduction purposes. It was a common belief that these types of pity rituals made the resulting genetic fluid more potent for the mothergrub, resulting in powerful offspring.

A human date as Karkat understood it, while occasionally ending in copulation, has no primary purpose outside of spending private time with your partner doing various activities. The concept is both frightening and exciting alike for the lowblood, who is becoming more and more infatuated with the simplicity of human culture the more he learns about it.

He still isn’t sure the information he’s learning from Dave and his silly movies is entirely accurate, but he is working with what’s available goddammit.

_ Speaking of working with what’s available, _ Karkat thinks to himself, _ what the hell should I wear tonight? _

He opens the closet, and sure enough there’s a few notes with green pen markings sticking to his various apparel. Dave had mentioned that he should wear something “fancy”, whatever that meant to a Strider. The last time he had seen Dave in something “fancy” was at Rose and Kanaya’s wedding, where he had put on one of those ironic shirts that has a picture of a tuxedo on it complete with a rose and kerchief. Then he’d worn a suit jacket over it, as if that somehow made it better. The ridiculous ensemble, even if it was pathetic, still makes Karkat blush.

_ Oh my god why am I thinking about that stupid shirt again. If he wears it tonight, I’m going to kick his ass. _

It especially pisses Karkat off because he knows that Dave isn’t against wearing a suit. Just not when people expect him to wear one. He can perfectly picture Dave leaning back in his tuxedo shirt, putting an arm around Karkat’s shoulder and saying “It’s all about deceiving expectations, Karkat. Gotta keep them all on their toes.” He shakes his head and starts thumbing through his wardrobe. He sees one of his nicer shirts with a note sticking to it and brings it closer to his face to inspect it.

this is nice, but it’s not date material! -jade

_ Then why did she bother sticking a note to it?! _

He smacks his hand to his forehead and drags it across his face with a defeated sigh. This is going to take a while.

* * *

Dave is staring at the tuxedo t-shirt laid out on John’s couch. When Jade said she was teleporting his closet here, he didn’t realize she was literally teleporting the entire closet. He looks up at the staircase where the closet and surrounding wall collapsed awkwardly on its side, completely blocking anyone from using them. John stands at the bottom, tapping his foot impatiently and glaring at Jade who’s floating above them both.

“There’s nothing you can say that will convince me this was an accident Jade. At least this time it wasn’t my toilet.” John sighs and puts his face in his hands.

“Hehe, well at least I waited until you were done climbing down them.” She wags her tail at Dave and tilts her head expectedly at him. A smile creeps up Dave’s face, he lifts his shoulders into a shrug as he starts to respond.

“I warned you a-“

“Dave, I think you should start getting dressed.” John completely cuts him off. “You’ve only got an hour before you have to meet Karkat!”

“Man, a dude can’t clown on his buddies anymore without being prosecuted. Chill out Egbert, your stairs will be fine and I’m working on the outfit right now. Strider levels of handsome take awhile to perfect, you know.” He pulls at his collar and winks.

“As long as you don’t wear the tuxedo t-shirt again.” John says, crossing his arms and pointing accusingly across the room at Dave.

“I agree,” Jade chimes in, “You should wear something really special!”

“Weren’t you the guy that unironically wore beaglepuss glasses for like, years?” teases Dave.

“Oh, come on!” John says defensively, “That was years ago!”

“Yeah well it’s still fucking hilarious to me.” Dave pushes his shades back and smiles.

“Dave, what about that nice dress shirt on the right? The one you have hanging from John’s lamp?” Jade pipes up, trying to veer the conversation back on track.

“You have literally no respect for my furniture dude.” John says under his breath as he walks over to the couch to assist in the expectant fashion montage.

“Yeah that’s nice…” Dave says, but he looks distant.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look very excited Dave. Woof.”

Dave shifts his weight from leg to leg, and then puts his face into one of his hands. His other hand clenches into a fist on his thigh. 

“I might actually be a little nervous. Which I know is completely ridiculous. I mean, it’s Karkat. I feel more comfortable around him than like 90% of people.” He walks over to the couch and sinks into it, resting comfortably atop the clothes piled up on it.

“Everything is going to be fine! In fact, more than fine! You guys are going to go be cute and gay and have a great time!” Jade eyes sparkle as she floats around the couch excitedly.

John puts a hand on Dave’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine dude, just be yourself!”

Dave shakes the nervous out of his body and looks over at the shirt on the lamp. His shades fall down his nose, his cheeks flushed. “Do you think that would look nice with my red blazer?”

* * *

As Karkat approaches the Mayor’s house, his heart is beating out of his chest and ringing his think pan. The sun is just beginning to set, and a cool breeze washes over his face as he passes the tab fountain. There aren’t many carapacians out on the streets this time of night, and the ones that are out pass without acknowledging him. 

Finally, as he sees the familiar lopsided lights of the mayor’s home, his gaze reaches Dave who is leaning against a light post expectantly. Their eyes meet, and Dave corrects his stance and waves over Karkat with a smile.

He immediately feels heat rush to his face as he takes in Dave’s appearance. The blonde is without his shades, revealing his striking strawberry red eyes. The color is unusual for trolls and humans alike, and the way they complement his own cherry red ones makes his blood pulse. 

Dave is wearing a loose-fitting white dress shirt that reveals his tantalizing collarbone, a maroon blazer unbuttoned and framing his waistline, and black slacks that cling snugly to his hips. Karkat gulps and adjusts the collar of his black fleece v-neck, pulling his royal blue jacket closer to his body. His tan slacks are too big for him in the first place, but right now they feel tight against his flushed gray skin.

Dave gives Karkat the once over as his boyfriend shuffles towards him. He can feel his face getting hot when he catches a flash of gray skin near Karkat’s hipbone. He tilts his head and raises an eyebrow suggestively.

“You sure know how to clean up, huh? Looking good Karkles.”

Karkat suddenly feels very small and exposed, crossing his arms and refusing to meet Dave’s piercing gaze. He fiddles with the buttons on his jacket and stops a few feet away from the blonde.

“I guess I have to admit that you look nice too.” Karkat manages to muster the courage to say, still looking at the ground in a futile attempt to stifle his blush.

“It’s a beautiful night, don’t you think?” Dave says, looking up at the stars and awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

“Yeah, it is.” Karkat replies looking back up, but not at the sky.

A moment of silence passes, then Dave approaches Karkat until he’s almost directly on top of him. He leans in close, and Karkat’s breath hitches when he feels Dave’s mouth hovering above his exposed neck. Karkat’s heartbeat is like a summer storm in his ears, and he’s sure Dave can hear it too. Suddenly, Dave stops and grabs Karkat’s trembling fingers.

“Close your jaw darling, you’ll catch flies.” He whispers into Karkat’s ear.

A wave of embarrassment followed by anger passes over Karkat, as he half heartedly punches Dave in the chest, his other hand still tightly clutched within Dave’s warm grasp. He mumbles some obscenities into Dave’s chest as he drinks in the blonde’s scent, a musky cinnamon.

“Are we going now?” Dave says with a smile, stepping out of the close embrace and gesturing into the distance with a nod.

“About fucking time.” Karkat mumbles, and Dave stifles a laugh as he leads them both down the sidewalk and into the night.

* * *

Dave and Karkat shoot the breeze for about a half hour before arriving in front of a very fancy looking restaurant, hand in hand. It’s got white pillars that shine under the moonlight, a cobblestone path and a lovely garden surrounding the front entrance with abundant flower trellises. Dave lets go of Karkat’s hand to present the establishment dramatically.

“So, what do you think? Strider really pulled out all the stops for this one. Pretty cool huh?” He leans forward with a smirk, the crook of his thumb and index finger holding his chin triumphantly. Karkat scoffs.

“I won’t lie, I’m impressed. I didn’t think you could ever muster the courage to call and talk to someone to make a reservation, you know, like a fucking person.”

“Wait what? I was supposed to make reservations?” Dave tilts his head in confusion and scratches his chin.

“Dave what the fuck, are you serious?” Karkat throws his hands up with frustration. Dave bursts out into laughter.

“Hahaha, you should have seen the look on your face. Of course I made reservations.” Karkat relaxes but he still looks kind of pissed off.

_ Thank god Rose called me yesterday to remind me to make them, that would have fucking sucked. _

“Alright let’s head inside, I’m gonna date the shit out of you.” Dave holds his hand out, and Karkat rolls his eyes before taking Dave’s hand, melting into his touch helplessly.

“We’ll have to fucking see about that.” Karkat replies, and they walk to the front door together.

Upon entry, a nervous young troll boy greets them at the front desk. He has a piercing in his left horn, and his uniform looks slightly unkempt.

“H-hello there, welcome to Ancestral Taste: La Ristorante. Do you have reservations?”

A few years ago, anybody would have immediately recognized the two of them as demigods, but with the steadily growing population they were being recognized less and less in public. This was a great relief for both. After a moment Dave speaks up.

“Yes, I’m reserved under Charles E. Cheese.” deadpans Dave, and Karkat immediately shoots him a glare that could kill. The waiter gives the list a once over and smiles.

“Ah yes, Mr. Cheese, right this way!” The waiter steps out from the booth and gestures for them to follow.

Once they’ve been seated and the waiter leaves them with the menus, Karkat kicks Dave in the shin under the table. Dave winces.

“You reserved our table as the squeak beast mascot from your human wiggler outpost? What the fuck is wrong with you?” His whisper-shouting grows hoarse towards the end of his sentence.

“It’s called a fucking playcenter, Karkat. Do not mock Charles Entertainment Cheese he’s a fucking 90s icon. I never actually got to go inside one because I was too busy dodging puppets and swords, but I used to always watch the commercials as a kid and wish I could go.”

Dave looks genuinely wistful amidst the shoddy humor, and Karkat, for once, decides this isn’t a fight worth having right now. He can’t risk screwing up this human “date.” He lets out a long sigh and opens the menu.

“Oh, this is cool, they have both human and troll food. That makes this a lot easier.” He flips briefly through the pages and his eyes widen at the price tags.

“Dave are you sure this is okay, it’s pretty expensive?” Karkat shrinks in his seat, suddenly feeling like he doesn’t belong here.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve still got a shit ton of money from that time I gamed the stock market on LOHAC.” He doesn’t glance up from the menu as he speaks, continuing to flip through it without care.

“Well, if you’re sure, then I think the hoof beast steak with grub sauce and mashed potatoes and mixed greens looks pretty good.”

Potatoes are a universal constant.

“Yeah, I’m probably going to get the same thing but for humans. Just like- a regular steak with A1 sauce. Not a sauce made from fetus juice.”

“Dave, I told you, they don’t use wigglers in the process anymore. It’s all ethically sourced or lab made.”

“It’s still fetus juice to me dude, fake or not. I mean, to each their own. Who am I to deny a man his baby nectar?” He pushes the menu down to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at Karkat. Karkat blinks a few times, but then he laughs.

“You sure know how to charm a troll, Dave.” Karkat says with a smile. Dave leans forward and cups his mouth with his hand in a conspiratorial whisper.

“Is it working, am I dating the shit out of you yet?”

Karkat moves his arm across the table and trails his fingers down Dave’s arm flirtatiously, blushing but trying to appear confident.

“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here.” Karkat whispers. Dave’s heart skips a beat and he swallows, his plan backfiring.

The waiter comes back over and asks for their order. Dave jokingly asks for some chicken nuggets. Karkat puts his face in his palms and stifles a laugh. The waiter looks very confused but relaxes when they put their real orders in.

When the waiter leaves, Karkat decides to ask the question that’s been on his mind all day. He places his hands folded under his chin.

“So, why are we here right now?”

“Well, for starters Buffalo Wild Wings was absolutely packed.”

“Dave you know that’s not what I mean. Why are we here, on a date? What changed? I thought you were content with our usual routine. Not that I’m saying this is a bad thing, to be honest I was hoping you’d ask me out like this eventually…” 

He blushes as he puts all his feelings out in the open. He struggles to do this with almost everyone, but with Dave he feels safe. He realizes how vulnerable he’s being and straightens his posture.

“Plus, I believe you promised me a fucking explanation for the other day. I’m going off the assumption that these things are connected.”

Dave looks around the restaurant for a minute, as if he’s checking to see if anybody else is within earshot. Then he leans in close so that he’s only inches from Karkat’s face.

“I had some stuff happen to me as a kid, with my brother”

“Okay…” Karkat motions him to continue and grabs the blonde’s hand over the table to squeeze it comfortingly.

Dave looks down at the table and squeezes Karkat’s had tightly, the lowblood feels a wetness on his arm but he can’t tell if it’s sweat or tears. Or perhaps a combination of the two.

“It uh, stunted me sexually, if you catch my drift.” Karkat’s eyes widen with realization. He had never considered that as a possibility, given that trolls were all raised with highly evolved animals that seemed to have little to no sexdrive or perverse nature. He had heard things about the darker parts of human society, but he didn’t realize how close it really was to his own life.

“You don’t have to talk about the details if it’ll make you uncomfortable.” He gives Dave’s hand a squeeze and patiently awaits a response.

“I’m not worried about it, I already talked to Rose, Jade, and John about the whole thing. That was the hardest part for me, finally telling someone and putting it out into the open like that. It was like, confirming it actually happened, you know?”

Karkat nods sympathetically. “I know what you mean. That’s kind of how I felt when I told somebody about my blood for the first time. It was like… it somehow wasn’t real until I finally made myself say it out loud. Not that I’m in any way trying to compare my blood thing to your trauma, I’m just saying that I know how nice it is to finally get that weight off your chest you know?”

Dave looks back up and into Karkat’s eyes, and smiles.

“I love you, Karkat Vantas.”

Karkat’s heart stops just as the food arrives. His face is as red as a cherry tomato, and the waiter gives him a strange look as he leaves the food on the table for them. Dave laughs when the waiter is out of earshot. Karkat writhes in his seat as he pulls his hand out of Dave’s grasp.

“You look like a stop sign. Tell me officer, should I come to a complete stop? Or is this a rolling stop and I can just coast right into the Walmart parking lot like nothing ever happened.”

“You’re an asshole.” Karkat says into his sleeve, which he is now desperately clinging to in order to hide his embarrassed face.

“Dude I just shared like, my deep dark secret with you, and you call me an asshole?” Dave says teasingly. Karkat drops his arm back into his lap and looks at him seriously. Dave widens his eyes in surprise.

“I am really glad you told me Dave. It makes me happy that you trust me.”

Karkat twiddles with his fingers for a bit, and then slams his fists down on the table causing the whole thing to shake.

“I love you too! I love you, Dave Strider!” He shouts, and some of the other customers look over judgingly in their direction. Now Dave’s face is the same shade as his boyfriend’s, for a multitude of reasons.

“Woah woah, hey, shhhh.” Dave says, papping Karkat gently on the cheek. “We don’t want to disturb the neighbors.”

Karkat looks down at his food in shame and embarrassment, and the two of them continue to chat and bicker while they eat the rest of their meal. The food is delicious, and Dave tips a proper 20% when they receive the check.

When they go outside, it’s gotten a few degrees colder and Karkat realizes he can see his breath. He shivers slightly, jealous of Dave’s constant heat even on the coldest of days. The sun has now fully set, and the moon is rising.

“So,” Karkat starts, pull the sleeve of his sweater over the tips of his fingers and holding it to his mouth for warmth, “What now? Are we going home?”

Dave smiles, and pulls Karkat close to him against one of the pillars. The instant relief Karkat feels from the cold being held in Dave’s embrace makes him swoon.

“Not quite just yet, if you don’t mind?” Dave says, and Karkat relaxes in his arms. He can feel his heartbeat in his ears.

“O-okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two boys are finally getting somewhere. Tune in next time to see what happens (it's sex, sex is going to happen).
> 
> If you like this fanfic and you want to stay updated, please consider following/checking out my [weebly](https://firefiction.weebly.com) account. I post updates about my writing, artwork, and potential future projects. Please feel free to make comments, suggestions, or share your thoughts!
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
-Manakete


	6. Kissing Under the Stars and Sheets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 10+ years of sexual tension finally pays off and new promises are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First times are messy and full of mistakes. I know tentadicks are canon now, but I still think of trolls as bug-like-creatures so Karkat has a bug-like-penis and you are all going to have to just deal with that. 
> 
> As a trauma survivor myself, I partially based Dave's internal monologue on my own thoughts when I had my first time. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this fanfic until it's final chapter, I hope it was worth the wait!

Dave leads Karkat around the corner and then off the beaten path. They start a long trek up a grassy hill, to which Karkat initially protests but Dave assures him it’s going to be worth it. By the time they reach the top, the moon is high in the sky and the stars shine brightly. Dave plops down onto the grass, and Karkat follows suit.

The sky is breathtaking. From this height Karkat can see across the entire city, and the stars dot the sky with a pristine beauty. The blue and purple sea of colors stretch far beyond the horizon, the white lights twinkling just out of reach.

Karkat sighs wistfully, his vision clouding as he remembers some of the friends they’ve lost; Nepeta, Sollux, Tavros- heck sometimes he even misses Vriska. They all had their problems, some more than others, but they were the people he grew up with. They were a part of his life, and losing them tore a hole in his heart that was only recently beginning to heal. He can’t help but wonder what they would think of Earth C if they were still alive.

“So many people died so that we could look up at the sky and feel safe.”

He looks over to the blonde, who meets his gaze and shifts his body closer to his own; his eyes glisten with understanding under the pale moonlight. Karkat sighs deeply and brings his knees into his body.

“Was it really worth it?”

Dave reaches over and wipes Karkat’s tears away with his index finger. He lets the warmth of his hands linger for a few moments over Karkat’s skin before he pulls away.

“I spent a lot of time wondering the same thing. I can’t count how many times I watched people I care about die. Even now I sometimes get nightmares about it.”

Dave winces but quickly regains his composure.

“Always thinking about the things that I could’ve done differently, and the people I could’ve saved. But the more time I’ve spent with you, the more I realized something. If I wasn’t sitting here next to you right now, I wouldn’t want you to feel guilty. Everything I did, everything _ we _ did was to create a better future. A future where trolls, humans, and whatever the fuck else could live alongside each other peacefully, without the threat of a looming apocalypse or the wrath of a pissed off, cracked out, man-baby swinging his overgrown asparagus arms around and murdering people because he didn’t get enough hugs as a child.”

“I guess that’s one way to describe that piece of shit.” Karkat stifles a laugh as his body begins to relax. Dave continues.

“I never really subscribed to any of that religious bullshit, but I guess I like to think our friends are still out there you know? Watching over us, seeing how dope this planet is and being chill with the fact that their sacrifice made it happen. I feel like the view from up here is proof that they want us to enjoy what we created.”

Dave looks back at Karkat and the two lock eyes for a moment, a light breeze wafts between them and Karkat’s apprehensions go with it.

“You’re right. We made this together, all of us.”

“And it’s pretty fucking amazing huh?” Dave says, looking at Karkat’s awestruck face with a big goofy smile.

“Yeah. It’s completely fucking amazing.” Karkat says, setting his hand down on Dave’s and intertwining it with his fingers.

Dave leans into the touch, resting his head on Karkat’s shoulder.

“You know what else is fucking amazing?” He says, looking up at Karkat.

“Hmm?”

“You.”

Karkat’s face goes red for what feels like the millionth time that night, but he’s already thought of a snarky reply.

“Oh my god. You’re a total cornball. I guess when you reserved as Mr. Cheese you weren’t exaggerating.”

Dave laughs. “Oh, come on, that was such a terrible joke. Now who’s the cornball?” He pushes Karkat playfully, who immediately pushes him back.

They go back and forth for a while, laughing and swearing under the stars. Karkat accidentally pushes a bit too hard, and suddenly he’s on top of Dave.

They both stare at each other in embarrassed silence, the laughter slowly dissipating to be replaced by a sudden tension. Karkat swallows and resolves to make the first move this time.

Blushing profusely the troll dips his head, his lips slowly pressing into Dave’s. Dave immediately starts kissing him back, the warmth of his mouth pushing hungrily against Karkat.

Their bodies shudder simultaneously with excitement as Karkat lets out a breathy moan when Dave snakes his tongue into his waiting mouth. Karkat digs his nails into the grass to gain some semblance of control before he loses it entirely.

The troll is heavy against his chest, and Dave’s instinctively grinds his hips into him, desperate for friction as he becomes acutely aware of his zipper and the way the metal presses harshly against his boxers. He grips the boys head with his hands and runs his fingers through raven hair, his tongue firm against the roof of Karkat’s mouth.

Karkat gasps as Dave absentmindedly brushes against his horns, his entire body jolting at the unexpected sensation. Candy red blood pulses through his veins and travels downwards. He pulls away from Dave breathing heavily, his nails digging deeper into the dewy grass as he holds his own weight to prevent himself from collapsing onto the blonde entirely.

“F-fuck!”

Dave watches the sudden change in his boyfriend’s expression, he smirks flirtatiously as realization hits him. He shifts his hands away from the stubby candy-corn nubs temporarily.

“Oh shit that’s right, your horns are like, a thing, aren’t they?”

Dave’s smile pierces through the fog of lust and Karkat manages to reply between shallow breaths, his face flush with embarrassment and desire.

“Fuck… you…”

“So, what happens when I do this?” Dave teases, and grips the stubs with both hands, moving his palms up and down their length briskly with curiosity. He watches the troll’s expression intensely.

“Ahh- !”

Karkat moans with one hazy eye open, the other closed tightly in pleasure. A mixture of their saliva drips from his jaw, his mouth slightly ajar, pointy teeth protruding from behind bitten red lips.

Dave can tell instantly that the image will be permanently burned into his memory as one of the hottest things he’s ever seen. He’s never been so hard so quickly in his entire life.

“Holy shit. Karkat I don’t know if you can hear me because to be honest you look comatose, but we really shouldn’t do this on this hill right now. If this goes any further, I’m going to lose control and we might be arrested for public indecency. Could we wait until the third or fourth time to do that?”

It takes a moment for Karkat to catch his breath but when he does, he nods in agreement. He rolls off Dave and stands up, offering his hand to the blonde who accepts and is brought to his feet. He grips Dave’s collar and stares directly into his eyes.

“You. Me. Apartment. Now.” The troll snarls hungrily.

Dave eyes go wide as he swallows any potential snarky responses.

“Yes sir.”

* * *

The entire way home they can barely keep their hands off each other. Dave keeps his hand firmly planted on Karkat’s ass squeezing it occasionally and thoroughly enjoying the squeak the troll lets out when he does so. Karkat clings to Dave’s side and routinely kisses and nibbles Dave’s nape, smiling deviously when he hears the blonde’s breath catch in his throat with a surprised hiss.

They get a few curious glances from trolls and carapacians, but they can’t be bothered to give a single fuck about anything other than each other’s touch.

By the time Dave opens the apartment door they’ve been reduced to a panting sweaty mess; as the door swings closed Karkat pushes Dave against the wall and their mouths are merged once again in a sticky, warm, exchange of saliva.

“I’m… mmm… pretty sure… mmm… I saw this in a movie once.” Dave whispers between kisses, slipping his hands underneath Karkat’s sweater and gripping the small of his back as he retakes control and pushes the troll against the adjacent wall.

“Oh yeah…hah… what about this?” Karkat hisses practically tears off his jacket, followed by his sweater. He discards the clothes and returns his attention to Dave.

Karkat’s sultry frame and the sweat that drips from his neck down his chest is on full display, his abominable muscles just barely visible beneath the flushed gray skin with a cute faintly protruding belly. After feasting his eyes on his prize for a few moments, his eyes drift to the six dark parallel scars on either side of his torso.

“Woah, what happened?” Dave asks, for a moment all horniness put aside out of concern for his boyfriend as he stares at the strange marks.

“Grubscars. You can’t lose extra legs without leaving a mark of some kind.” Karkat replies casually, leaning forward to pull Dave back into his embrace.

“You’ll have to explain that to me later.” Dave murmurs and starts unbuttoning his own shirt, his gaze fixated on Karkat’s exposed skin, licking his lips with anticipation.

Moments later he too is shirtless, and Karkat marvels at his compact but surprisingly defined features. His chest is tight and his sculpted abs glisten with perspiration. He can’t help but stare, mouth agape.

“Woah.” Karkat mutters, a slight trill in his voice. He’s immensely turned on, but some part of him is now slightly insecure about his own marginally chubby body.

“What? Did you think the years of training, fighting, and not to mention wielding that giant ass sword was easy?” Dave teases, raising an eyebrow and flexing one arm unabashedly, reveling in the way Karkat is staring at him.

“I guess not, uhm, sorry if all this doesn’t exactly live up to your expectations.” Karkat says only partially sarcastically, gesturing at his body with a slight frown and failing to maintain eye contact with the blonde hovering only inches away from him.

Dave responds by kissing Karkat’s neck and working his way down to his chest and stomach, leaving behind a trail of red marks on gray skin as the lowblood shudders at his every touch. He pauses and looks up at his lover’s face contorted and hot with pleasure.

“You’re a fucking masterpiece baby.” Dave replies with a devilishly handsome grin plastered on his face. Karkat lets out a soft whimper.

“Get back up here asshole.” Karkat demands, pulling Dave back to a standing position so that he’s the usual four inches taller, standing on his tiptoes to drag him back into another intense make out session.

They continue to fight for control, pushing and pulling each other to each side of the narrow hallway that leads from the kitchen. Hands exploring and grasping at bare flesh, they eventually realize they are about to run out of hallway to continue this primal dance in.

“I think we just ran out of wall Karkles, time to move this along, help me lift your legs.” Dave declares eagerly, his face aglow with yearning.

Karkat is too horny to come up with a clever response so he obliges without thought and soon Dave is carrying Karkat to his bedroom, the troll excitedly leaving kisses on his neck and face.

Dave practically throws Karkat on to the bed before climbing on to it himself and rolling over to Karkat. Soon their noses are pressed together, heavy breaths rolling off their lips as they stare transfixed with lust into each other’s eyes. Dave smiles and leans in, kissing Karkat’s nose gently, then pulling the boy’s face so that it’s level with his own.

“So, we’re really doing this huh?”

“Apparently. I’ll be honest Dave, when I was on Alternia fantasizing about love I never imagined my first time would be with an annoying alien douchebag who makes troll Nicholas Cage’s humor seem original.”

“Well I never thought I would end up with a screechy anthro-beetle with terrible taste in cinema, but here I am mackin’ on those sweet alien lips instead of jacking it to The Terminator sex scene alone in my bedroom. Also, you’re a dude. Definitely never thought I’d finally declare cased closed on the question of my sexuality, but look at me now motherfuckers!”

Karkat sniggers as Dave smiles into his forehead, kissing it gently and running his fingers through the boy’s raven hair.

“You really were a mess before I met you Dave.” Karkat teases.

“Dude I’m still a mess, and so are you, don’t pretend like all that shit with Terezi, quadrants and troll racism never happened. You were literally complaining about it in your sleep last week when you fell asleep on the couch and I had to carry you to bed.” Dave rolls his eyes dramatically and ruffles Karkat’s hair.

“That’s a vast oversimplification of the shit I’ve had to deal with over the last however fucking many sweeps so don’t tell me why I’m a mess I already know why I’m a fucking mess. Also, fuck you.” Karkat growls into Dave’s chest, the frown on his face not as convincing as the blush on his cheeks.

“We’re a mess together then. I can live with that.” Dave says, cupping Karkat’s face with his hands and pulling him in for another lingering kiss. After a few moments he pulls away, and lays his head on Karkat’s chest, sighing wistfully.

“So, I’ve never done this before. I don’t really know exactly what to do or how we start this, I mean I only just recently graduated from kissing university with a degree in Karkat Vantas.”

Karkat looks down at the blonde snuggling into his chest, his heart floods with emotion and he shifts his gaze to the ceiling.

“I don’t know what I’m doing either. That’s okay though. We’ll figure it out together.” He says, looking back down at Dave with a gentle smile and flushed cheeks.

Dave’s heart skips a beat, and his desire fueling him he sits up and pins a surprised and bashful Karkat underneath him. He reaches for Karkat’s zipper and looks him in the eyes. _ We have to start somewhere. _

“This is okay right?” Dave asks with genuine concern.

“O-of course it’s okay, but um, it’s not necessary if you don’t want…” Karkat starts to say as Dave abruptly cuts him off.

“I’m doing this because I want to, so shut up.” He says, and starts unzipping the tan slacks, curious what’s beneath them. Karkat holds his breath as Dave casts his slacks aside and reaches into his boxers.

What he finds is, as he expected, alien, but not too unlike his own at least in appearance. It’s rougher, almost covered in some sort of scale membrane. It’s not much bigger than the average human might have, but he immediately notices some sort of slimy concave that it must have descended from. He also can’t help but notice that he doesn’t have any visible testicles.

“Dude where’s your balls?”

“W-what?” Karkat replies, his eyes glazed over, and it’s abundantly clear to Dave he isn’t getting any answers about troll anatomy right now.

“Never mind.” Dave says and returns his gaze to the throbbing alien dick inches from his face. He pokes it experimentally with his index finger, and it twitches in response. Karkat moans and sits up, leaning back on his left arm for support, reaching with his other hand to grip Dave’s shoulder.

The sudden touch in such a vulnerable position sends a feeling of panic down Dave’s spine, and for a moment he sees his brother’s face looking back at him. The puppet’s spindly arms wrapping around his throat and squeezing until he cries out in agony. He flinches and he can feel himself starting to hyperventilate, but then a voice reaches through the darkness.

“Oh god Dave, I love you so much.”

Karkat whines, as he digs his nails into Dave’s shoulder. The moonlight cascades through the window and reflects off his delicate features as they tremble beneath his gaze and touch.

The dark cloud that was about swallow him suddenly evaporates as the starlight in Karkat’s eyes reminds him that he’s exactly where he wants to be, and shadows of his past fade in the blistering light that fills his heart at the sound of Karkat’s voice. _I can do this, it's okay, I'm safe._

Dave cautiously grasps the cherry red cock with one hand and begins to lightly stroke it, occasionally palming the tip in a circular motion as he’s done to himself in the past. Karkat immediately responds with a guttural clicking sound he hasn’t heard before, which he takes as a good sign and repeats the pattern.

“Fuck… hah…fuck.”

Karkat mutters through gasps of air, his thighs quivering in pleasure as Dave strokes him up and down. Dave flinches as he feels sharp nails gripping his shoulder tighter, scoring albeit not breaking the skin.

“Does this feel good?” Dave teases, keeping rhythm with the trolls weak thrusts into his hand.

“Hah…hah…what do you think d-dumbass?”

“Perfect.” _Here goes nothing..._

He continues stroking while he leans down and begins trailing his tongue along the shaft, the rough texture reminding him of the skin of a lemon.

Karkat’s face contorts as the clicking sound reappears, followed by a boisterous and prolonged groan of pleasure.

“Nnn ahh… Dave… oh god...”

Dave’s own hard cock throbs intensely in his pants at the sound of Karkat moaning his name and with his free hand he reaches down and, breathing heavily, starts touching himself to the hum of Karkat’s whines and gasps. He tries to keep pace with the hand wrapped firmly around the pulsing alien dick, lewd sounds beginning to escape from his own lips.

“Mmm… hahh…”

Dave whines, his heartbeat deafening in his chest. Karkat’s legs start to seize up as he let’s go of Dave’s shoulder and puts both his arms behind him, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. His voice starts to fall apart into short grunts as his body quivers.

“I… I… can’t… you have to stop… it’ll get in your mouth.”

“That’s okay, I can handle it.”

Recognizing that his lover is about to come undone, the blonde takes the tip into his mouth with a soft pop, like he’s seen people do in more than a few adult movies.

“Dave… Fuck!”

Karkat gives a final upwards thrust raking the bed with his claws and his entire body vibrates as he releases directly into Dave’s mouth. The genetic fluid swirls around Dave’s mouth and enters the back of his throat. It tastes rather bland, almost like water but thicker and with a vaguely sweet aftertaste. This makes it pretty easy to swallow even as an amateur, which he does with only a few quick coughs afterwards.

The troll falls backwards onto the bedspread with a soft thud, chest heaving. His half-hard, weeping cherry cock continues to tremble while he catches his breath.

“I see somebody is up for round two. I definitely don’t have a problem with that!” Dave teases, a sudden confidence building in his chest after witnessing Karkat writhe and twitch. _Keep the dark thoughts down, focus on his_ _reactions_. A few seconds later Karkat sits back up clutching his chest, his eyes wet with tears from the intensity of his orgasm. 

“I thought my heart stopped. You almost killed me, you dumbshit.” Karkat scoffs, his face still red as the sheets he’s lying on top of.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Now, get your sexy ass over here. We aren’t done.” Dave commands as he pulls himself upright against the headrest.

Karkat watches him move, and then follows suit. They smile at each other briefly before latching their faces together once again. Karkat can taste himself on Dave’s tongue but he realizes he doesn’t mind; in fact he might be into it.

At some point during the face feast Karkat opens his eyes and notices that Dave is only in his underwear as well, and there is a sizable tent of fabric on his crotch. He swallows, his eyes gleaming and Dave catches him staring.

“Interested? I’m more than happy to let you see the man behind the curtain. Only the curtain is these record boxers, and the man is my throbbing cock.” Dave whispers flirtatiously into Karkat’s ear.

Karkat reflexively pushes his face away in irritation.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, fucking pervert…”

Karkat closes his eyes and scrunches his face in embarrassment. He shakes off the feeling and looks directly into Dave’s strawberry eyes. He takes his hand and walks it across Dave’s thighs.

“I want to make you feel good.” Karkat purrs, and watches with delight as a blush streaks across Dave’s face. Dave takes a deep breath, and then fumbles with his shorts for a moment before releasing his aching dick.

“Then suck.”

Karkat feels his cock twinge at the demanding tone of Dave’s voice, and he obediently lays down with his head between Dave’s legs. He admires the familiar yet foreign fleshy shaft, how smooth it feels in his hands in comparison to his own, and the interesting external shame globes before taking it into his mouth just as Dave had done.

Initially he overestimates his capabilities and takes it too deep, pulling off and coughing profusely. Karkat waits for Dave to make fun of him but when he looks up expectantly, he doesn’t see the usual crafty smile. Instead he sees Dave looking back at him wide eyed and pink in the face. 

Dave has jerked himself off to the thought of Karkat’s head between his legs like this hundreds of times, but nothing prepares him for the alien chill of the troll’s mouth, or the mini daggers that occasionally prick at his skin. Karkat is being careful not to cut him with his pointies, but the occasional graze of sharp teeth only makes Dave’s heartbeat faster.

“Shit… that feels amazing…”

Dave hisses and feels Karkat moan around him in response. The blonde watches the boy’s mouth bob up and down on his cock and the vibrations of his moans on his shaft send Dave into groans of ecstasy.

“Unghh… fuck… oh god please don’t stop...”

Karkat feels his body tense up as those words hit him like a truck. He feels his dick pulse as it returns to full hardness, and he reaches a hand down to stroke himself while he sucks Dave off.

Dave can feel Karkat’s throat tightening around him with a vice-like grip with every moan that escapes and hums around his dripping cock. A renewed wave of pleasure hits him, and he realizes he isn’t going to last much longer.

“Fuck... oh-god-it-feels-so-fucking-good but you have to stop!”

Karkat pulls off and looks up at him, concerned. He stops stroking himself and folds his hands under his chin for stability as he lays with his head still partially in Dave’s lap.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Karkat immediately goes to apologize but Dave shakes his head and comfortingly runs his fingers through the troll’s raven hair.

“No not even a little bit, but humans just don’t uh, recover as quickly as trolls apparently do and I don’t want to waste this golden opportunity.” Dave runs a hand lovingly across the boy’s cheek. He isn’t sure when he’ll be able to get himself in this headspace again, so he figures now is as good a time as ever. 

“What do you mean?” Karkat asks, tilting his head in confusion.

“I want to bend you over and split you open.” Dave says, the dominant tone in his voice from earlier returning to Karkat’s delight.

The lowblood feels his face catch fire and spread through his veins and without realizing it, he’s already taking his boxers the rest of the way off. Dave does the same with a playful scoff.

“Eager, are we? I wish I knew sooner how horny fine dining makes you.”

“Shut the fuck up and let me take care of this.” Karkat says blushing profusely, and he brings two of his fingers down to the dripping slit that his bulge is typically encased in, coating them with genetic fluid.

Dave watches entranced as Karkat pulls his fingers out of the mysterious cavern and plunges them into his own ass with a squeak. The movements he’s making with his fingers indicate to Dave that this is definitely not the first time he’s done something like this. The sounds he’s making with his mouth indicate to Dave that holy shit his boyfriend is really hot.

He reaches, intrigued, with a probing hand for the wet space above Karkat’s dick, and when he finds it easily slides three fingers inside. It feels warmer than he was expecting, and he can feel the muscles pulsing around him. _ So many fucking questions, but I’ll hold off for now _.

Karkat feels Dave’s fingers in his nook, but he’s too busy preparing himself to explain that male trolls feel almost nothing down there. It serves its main purpose, which is to store and protect his bits with the assistance of his bulge bone, but not much else. However, it does produce a natural lube that comes in handy for this sort of thing.

He spent a portion of his youth, especially after his first molt, discovering this and using it to fuck himself with a hairbrush. He wasn’t proud of it, but he was a horny teen and it did the job. At the very least he knows what to expect.

“You seem to know what you’re doing, are you sure I’m your first?” Dave teases, a slight twinge of uncertainty in his tone.

“I spent a lot of time alone in my room.” Karkat grumbles, focusing on the task at hand. “You learn things when you get bored during molt season.”

“I don’t know what that means, but it’s pretty hot.” Dave retorts, watching Karkat’s movements with enthusiasm. 

“Okay… I think… hahh… I’m ready.” Karkat groans, pulling his fingers out before crawling back into Dave’s lap. He gazes at Dave’s dazed expression with concern. “Are you ready? Is this okay?” Karkat’s voice snaps him back to reality.

“Huh? Shit, sorry. Yes, this is okay. It’s more than okay actually.”

“Alright, then uh, here goes. Your hand should still be sticky from your unwarranted investigation into my nook, just rub that on yourself really quick for me.”

“S-Sure.” Dave follows his instructions without question.

He takes a deep breath and then positions himself above Dave’s hard shaft, and holding Dave’s shoulders, lowers himself on top of it. As he feels the blonde enter him, he hisses at the intensity of his warmth as it throbs inside him.

Dave’s mind goes blank as Karkat envelops him. The pressure around his cock numbs his senses, he feels nothing and everything at the same time. It’s far more intense than he’d ever imagined. The strength of Karkat’s startlingly warm interior gripping him knocks the wind out of his lungs and leaves him sputtering.

“Gahhh, hnnng- holy fuck!” Dave gasps.

Karkat winces at the pain radiating from his ass. It’s been awhile since he’s had something inside him like this, and Dave’s strange human bulge is longer and thicker than the end of his hairbrush. He starts lightly stroking his cock to power through the pain and get to the pleasure, waiting for his body to adjust. He looks down at Dave’s dumbfounded face and snorts.

“What happened… to all that talk… about splitting me open?”

“Karkat.” Dave hisses through clenched teeth, “You don’t seem to understand how fucking tight your ass is right now. Hahh-”

The pain subsides and is replaced by a numbing warmth that travels quickly to the rest of his body. He slows his breathing and relaxes around Dave’s shaft. _ If he won’t move, then… _

The blonde whimpers as he feels Karkat relax, only to clench back down with a sudden gyration of his hips. Dave’s body has a mind of its own as he reflexively bucks into the troll with a surprised grunt, digging his fingers into Karkat’s waist. The clicking sound from earlier resurfaces as Karkat flinches, one eye squinting shut in the process.

“Oh - oh my god.”

“Dave.” Karkat growls, “Move.”

The fog in Dave’s head starts to clear, and he looks up to see the boy straddling his cock looking back at him expectantly, his pointy teeth bared in an impatient but lustrous scowl. He takes a few shallow breaths and grips the troll’s hips.

“Okay. Yeah, doing that now.”

They start out slow, Dave pushing up into Karkat cautiously and littering the boy’s neck with kisses. Karkat wraps his arms around Dave for support as he moves his hips in tandem, digging his claws into his boyfriend’s exposed back. 

Dave grits his teeth and groans into the troll’s neck, rolling his hips in the process, his hands squeezing tightly at his lover’s waist and leaving noticeable red marks in his wake, which immediately gets a response as Karkat starts chittering incoherently.

“Are you alright? What’s that noise?” Dave asks, pulling off Karkat’s neck and looking him in the eyes. Karkat’s eyes are glazed over and it appears like he’s only semi aware of what’s going on.

“Ka… I’m fine… just keep going.” Karkat whines, biting his lower lip and pricking the skin in a feeble attempt to put a stop to the animalistic noises escaping his body.

“So, it’s a good thing then? Sweet.”

“Shut the fuc- kaka ka ka…”

“Sorry, what was that?” Dave teases, pressing their foreheads together and gradually picking up speed, watching the boy’s pupils dilate passionately and beaming like a wolf cornering a rabbit. 

Karkat’s leaking dick presses against his stomach, the warm liquid squelching against his skin erotically. Their heated breaths mix with the cool night air drifting from the agape window. Dave locks his mouth firmly against his, lapping at the small drops of blood dripping from the troll’s lips. Karkat’s muscles clench around him, and he’s unable to stop himself from moaning.

“Hah, Hah, Mmmm…”

“Dave… Ahhhh-”

“Karkat… you feel so good.”

Unfortunately lack of experience gets the best of both of them as Dave slips out on the pullback. Karkat shivers at the sudden emptiness.

"Shit, sorry."

"W-whatever, just p-put it back in."

Karkat reaches behind him and assists Dave, holding his shaft with one hand and leading the tip to his backside. He nods to signal Dave who hastily presses back inside of him with a squelch. They start again slowly, the lowblood being cautious about how far he pulls his hips up. 

The blonde takes a searching hand and reaches for Karkat’s horns, and before the troll has a chance to say anything or resist the soft flesh of Dave’s palm is gently stroking his left nub. Karkat’s eyes roll back and he throws his face to the ceiling, his vision going completely blank. He can feel his mouth opening in a scream, but he hears nothing other than his own heartbeat. His whole body pulsates with pleasure as Dave thrusts into him rhythmically.

Dave watches as the last shard of Karkat’s cantankerous demeanor shatters, the troll falling apart into moans of ecstasy under his touch. Karkat’s mouth lolls open as drool drips from his lips and down his neck. The clicking sound returns, much louder than previously, and without warning the lowblood starts feverishly riding his pulsing shaft.

“H-holy shit what-“ Dave whines in surprise, but he gets no response. It seems like Karkat has entered some sort of primal trance and can no longer be reached for commentary.

His body abruptly seizes up as he feels fangs sink into his shoulder, and claws rake mercilessly across his back. Karkat’s ass clenches tightly around him, guttural noises escaping the back of his throat and vibrating into Dave’s nape as he sucks at the seeping wound.

“Ahhh- Hah, Hah, Oh fuckk -” Dave moans, squeezing his eyes shut as his thrusts grow more desperate. Karkat squeaks and writhes against him like a wild animal, his cock slapping against the blonde’s bare chest and leaving a thin string of genetic fluid between them.

Dave grips his lover in a tight embrace as he pushes them both to the edge. His pleading gasps reach through the feral mist fogging the troll’s mind, and it’s enough to break him completely.

Karkat hisses and shakes as he falls backwards, his muscles spasming rapidly as his cherry cock throbs and releases thick ropes of reddish genetic fluid all over Dave’s chest and thighs. Dave’s breath catches in his throat as he feels his boyfriend’s orgasm squeezing him ruthlessly. Even if he wanted to pull out, the lowblood claws are still drawing blood and holding him in place.

His jaw falls open in a silent shriek as he cums, the white substance pouring into Karkat’s ass and filling him completely. His muscles quiver as he presses them together, holding both their weight until his twitching dick comes to a stop. He lets go and they collapse on the bed in a pathetic panting mess.

They lay there in a pool of their own sweat and semen, gasping for air and waiting to regain feeling in their legs. The color returns to Karkat’s eyes, and he turns his head to look at Dave whose lying on his stomach. He sees the bite marks and bleeding scratches painting the blonde’s back like abstract art. His eyes widen in panic as he reaches and yanks on Dave’s arm to get his attention.

“Did I… do that… to you?” He manages to ask between breaths. Dave turns his head so that he’s looking directly at Karkat’s horrified and flushed face. He smiles, and weakly moves his arm to give a lopsided thumbs up.

Karkat’s face contorts with embarrassment, as he brings his palms to his face and hides behind them. He mumbles obscenities pitifully into his hands and decides he should apologize.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even know what I was doing, everything went black and I just sort of… snapped.”

“It’s… it’s okay Karkat. I didn’t do it on purpose, but I think I activated your alien fight or flight response or some shit. Not that I’m complaining because, if I’m being completely honest here, it was kind of the hottest fucking thing ever. 10/10 would watch you go ape shit on my dick again.”

Karkat laughs, sniffling as he wipes his face. He uses what little strength he has left to pull himself over to Dave, who rolls onto his back expectantly, and drapes an arm over the blonde’s chest, snaking under his armpit and nuzzling into him affectionately. A low purring sound escapes from his throat as Dave lazily ruffles his hair with his free hand.

“So, are you okay? No dark thoughts?”

“Well” Dave starts, resting his chin against the top of Karkat’s head and stroking the trolls back soothingly, “For a moment I felt the darkness creeping back, seeing things that weren’t there, blah blah.” He picks his head up and gently pushes Karkat’s chin with his index fingers so that their eyes meet. “Then I heard your voice, and I knew that I was safe. So, thanks for that, you’re pretty cute when you moan my name.”

Karkat squeaks and tries to cover his face with his hands, but Dave leans in and kisses him gently. It’s different from the kisses they shared previously, it’s delicate and soft, like it could disappear at any moment.

“I love you Karkles.” Dave whispers, burying his face in Karkat’s hair and drinking in his scent. Karkat relaxes into his embrace.

“I love you too, asshole. I’ll try to not leave you with so many battle scars next time. Let's take a shower and afterwards I can do something about them. I think we might have bandages in the pantry…”

“Right, before I forget,” Dave says, stretching his legs and readjusting so that he’s leaning against the headboard with Karkat’s head on his thigh. “I can’t promise you that I’m like, cured or whatever. I might have some issues with uh, performance, occasionally. It’s going to take time. I’m sorry, I hope that’s okay?” His eyes search Karkat’s for any signs of doubt, anxiously awaiting his response.

“If it takes time, then let it take time. You don’t need to rush into anything. Don’t be afraid to tell me when something isn’t working for you. I promise I won’t get mad. After all, we’re gods. All we have is time.” He smiles up at Dave, his pointy teeth beaming with happiness. Dave feels his heart do a flip as the warmth of his smile re-energizes him, the strength returning to the lower half of his body.

“Hey, don’t forget we have blood too.” He pokes Karkat’s chest on the side he assumes his heart would be located. “What good is time if you don’t spend it building bonds with the people you love?” He beams triumphantly at his cheesy classpect reference. Karkat admires the way his strawberry eyes sparkle when he smiles, and he gets the feeling that Dave is done hiding them.

“You’re right.” Karkat says, snickering at Dave’s not so subtle one liner. He sits up and kisses Dave’s cheek. “All we have is time and blood and I want to spend every hour of it with you. Besides, how would you survive if I wasn’t here to put an end to your constant stream of bullshit .”

Dave kisses his nose lovingly.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but I know I want to spend it annoying the shit out of you. I mean, who else would know to play peanut butter jelly time as the first dance at our wedding someday? That’s like, super fucking important”

“I haven’t heard that song before,” Karkat grumbles, “but I have a feeling that I’m going to fucking despise it.” He sighs, and playfully flicks Dave’s nose. Dave rubs his nose dramatically like it’s broken, and then leans in for another kiss. 

“That’s what I’m counting on baby.”

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read this fanfic, and/or left kudos. If my writing left you smiling/horny/sad or whatever else please leave a comment and tell me about it! I appreciate the feedback more than you'll ever know. If you have any lingering questions about this story, my Dave and Karkat, or anything else feel free to hit me up on my blog!
> 
> If you like this fanfic and you want to stay updated, please consider following/checking out my [weebly](https://firefiction.weebly.com) account. I post updates about my writing, artwork, and potential future projects. Please feel free to make comments, suggestions, or share your thoughts!
> 
> Thank you so much!  
-Manakete


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